CRIMINAL MIND > FORENSICS & INVESTIGATION

The Mysterious Disappearance of Tara Grinstead

Speculation Rampant

And as the national media attention grew, so too did the suspicion. It reached a crescendo last week when Greta Van Susteren of Fox News arrived on the scene. In the hours before she went on the air, a promotional spot announced that she would explore a report that Harper and Tara had been seen arguing in the days before her disappearance.

Marcus Harper, yearbook

That, according to sources close to Harper, was untrue, and so Pajadas decided to take the risky step of allowing his client to be interviewed by Van Sustern. In the interview, Harper — who was shot in profile reportedly in part as a safety precaution because of his job as an independent contractor who has worked in Iraq — challenged the reports and said he had seen Tara about 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, a school day, when she turned up at his house. Harper said that Tara had threatened to commit suicide, though after a short interruption in the taping, Harper added that Tara had returned later that day and asked him for a hug, apparently indicating that it would be the last time.

Tara Grinstead

Sources close to Tara have acknowledged that the young woman was "on an emotional roller coaster," following the break up, but say they saw no evidence that she was suicidal, noting that on Oct. 14, Grinstead had left Harper's house, spent some in a tanning bed and then went for a pleasant visit with relatives.